The Dominion. FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 1915. WILL HOLLAND FIGHT?

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2371, 29 January 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 1915. WILL HOLLAND FIGHT?

f Holland has occupied a difficult and delicate position since the commencement of the war. She has had to pick her course warily;- knowing how easily a mistake might prematurely involve her in the conflict which is raging at her doors. Though she has declared her desire to live at peace with her neighbours tho possibility of war has been continually before her eyes. The brutal manner in which the rights of Belgium . were tramplod under foot by the German war party was a grim reminder to the Dutch that similar treatment might at any moment be meted out to them. If an invasion of Dutch territory should ever be of advantage to the Kaiser and his generals in carrying out their battle plans, nothing but superior force will keep the hosts of Germany on their own side of the frontier. The German doctrine that military necessity knows no law is a menace to tho independence of every State that is not prepared to return blow' for blow. The Dutch Government has declared its • determination to maintain its neutrality, and to do so by force of arms if necessary. Fortunately for them this dread necessity has not yet arisen. The desperate determination with which the Belgians have resisted Teutonic aggression has no doubt impressed upon tbe Kaiser the desirableness of keeping the peace as far as Holland is concerned. He does not want to add another nation, to the list of hi 3 active enemies if he can help it. But the Germans are not restrained by any considerations of international law or treaty rights. It is simply • a matter of expediency as far as they are concerned, and the people of Holland are well aware that they are in constant danger of a sudden blow from the "mailed first."

A cablegram which wo publish this morning indicates that this ever-present peril is becoming more pronounced, and that the outlook is growing gloomier. The Dutch Prime 'Minister is 'reported to have stated that a crisis may at any moment arise which would involve Holland in unexpected violence. The precise reasons for this statement are not disclosed, but the course of events has probably taken some new turn which has caused the Dutch Government to take additional precautions to safeguard the country's rights and interests. This view is supported hv the announcement that tne Military Service Act has been extended. It is also stated that there is a growing feeling of resentment at Zeppelins flying oyer Holland, and that popular hostility to the Germans is increasing owing to their brutal treatment of the Belgians and their violation of the laws of war by raids on defenceless coasts. The Dutch have probably seen more of the horrors of this terrible war than any other noncombatant nation. The fighting has at times raged fiercely close to their own ' borders, _ and the pitiful plight of the Belgian''refugees has rilled them with sorrow and indignation. The ruthless policy of deliberate devastation which the modern Huns are systematically carrying out has been brought_ right home to them. Righteous indignation seems to be developing into open hostility, and.there are signs that a critical juncture is being reached. The Dutch people know that the Belgians are fighting for the right of the smaller nations to live in peace and security, and they realise that the triumph of Germany would mean that small nations like Holland and Denmark and Switzerland would not dare to call their souls their own. A great responsibility has been thrown on the Dutch Government, In view of the present temper of the people a small spark may at any moment create a great blaze. As tbe Prime Minister .would hardly without very strong reasons have publicly referred to the danger of the country being involved in unexpected violence, the natural conclusion is that something has happened which has intensified the perils of. the situation. For over five months Holland has been in a state of armed neutrality —and armed neutrality is a very trying and costly business. An army of something like a quarter of a million men has to be kept in a state of readiness. Its duty is to watch and wait. The country has been standing half-way between peace and war for so long that the uncertainty of the position appea-rs to be getting on the people's nerves, and the strain may even now be nearing the breaking point. Me. J. W. Robertson Scott, a writer who has an extensive knowledge of Holland and of Dutch sentiment, recently expressed the opinion that "Holland will join in the war in order to maintain an independence which is in danger—when she believes it is in danger." Some people seem to think that the attitude of Holland to the present war is based entirely upon material and selfish considerations, and the manner in which she has so far held aloof while her gallant little neighbour has been overrun by German armies has certainly given rise to a feeling of disappointment in many quarters; but Mr. Robertson Scott asserts that to those who harbour the thought that a material view of her interests will keep Holland from fighting all that need be said is that they do not know the Dutch. There aro quite a number of possible causes of serious friction between Holland and Germany, and a crisis may be precipitated at any time. But it should also be borne in mind that tho Germans have been making great efforts to place their actions before the Dutch people in a, favourable light, and that an active pro-German _ propaganda has been in oxistence since the outbreak of the war. _ Yet on the whole Dutch sentiment is undoubtedly on the side of Britain and her Allies, and tho most recent information shows that anti-German feeling is becoming increasingly acute. That Holland will eventually throw Tn her lot with those who are fighting for tho cause of freedom, international morality, and the rights of tho smaller States seems very probable. It is, however, impossible at present to_ speak with anything like certainty on the point, and in matters of this kind it is well to remember fcha mip.;im—"Never iircmhoay unloac k j.ou know."